UFOs AND ABDUCTIONS:

Challenging the Borders of Knowledge

David Jacobs (Editor)

PRESS RELEASE:

Whether interplanetary tourists, interlopers from a parallel universe,
or mere misfirings in the brain, UFOs and "aliens" permeate popular
culture. They've made the covers of Time, Life, and the New York Times
Book Review; garnered CNN coverage; turned up on Larry King Live and
other high-profile talk shows. They have attracted large audiences
for TV's X-Files, Roswell, and Third Rock from the Sun, and for films
like ET, Independence Day, Men in Black, and Close Encounters of the
Third Kind. And they have swamped the Internet with thousands of
websites and discussion groups dedicated to the topic.

Despite this pervasive presence, few scholars have been willing to
study the perplexing phenomena behind these cultural signifiers. Wary
of a field that seems tainted by suspect methods, outlandish theories,
and zero government funding, as well as a disturbing array of cults,
charlatans, debunkers, and self-promoters, many have logically stayed
away. Meanwhile, the phenomenon continues to grow and evolve in the
public awareness.

In UFOs and Abductions: Challenging the Borders of Knowledge,
historian David Jacobs and his coauthors offer a kind of primer for
scholars, skeptics, and others uneasy about investigating this field.
Although not all in agreement concerning the elusive, complex, and
compelling subject of UFO and abduction phenomena, they have come
together to highlight key events, issues, themes, and theories. The
authors cover the nature of UFO "evidence;" reactions of the
government and military from the Cold War to the present; the
methodological debates; and the use of research from science, history,
mythology, and psychology in the study of UFOs and abductions.

UFOs and Abductions also brings together for the first time in one
book three bestselling authors-Jacobs, Budd Hopkins, and Pulitzer
Prize winner John Mack-widely known for their writings on the highly
controversial "alien abduction" phenomenon.

Motivated by the same simple curiosity that has always fueled
humanity's great discoveries, the authors of UFOs and Abductions hope
that their efforts will help to encourage a fundamental shift in the
academy's view of such research, ultimately leading to a better
understanding of the phenomena, ourselves, and our place in the
cosmos.

About the editor:
David M. Jacobs, associate professor of history at Temple University,
has been at the forefront of UFO research since the publication of The
UFO Controversy in America in 1975. His other books include Secret
Life: Firsthand Accounts of Abductions and, most recently, The Threat.

"A timely, fascinating, and very important book."
-Fred Alan Wolfe, author of The Dreaming Universe and Taking the
Quantum Leap

"A provocative volume on a controversial subject that should invite
much debate from a wide range of scholars." -David H. Devorkin, Curator, Department of Space History, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

"I do not agree with everything said in this book, but I applaud its
goal of encouraging serious study of the UFO phenomenon. While the
scientific aspects of the problem remain controversial, the historical
and cultural impact of the idea of UFOs is indisputable. Indeed, the
UFO debate bears on the question of ultimate concern as we enter the
new millennium: What is our place in the universe?" -Stephen J. Dick,
astronomer, U.S. Naval Observatory, author of Life on Other Worlds

"A valuable source for members of academe who wish to take on the
challenges posed by the UFO phenomenon." -Peter A. Sturrock, emeritus
director of the Center for Space Science and Astrophysics, Stanford
University, author of The UFO Enigma and Plasma Physics

"This impressive book should make academics think twice before simply
dismissing or ignoring the subject and, indeed, should help legitimize
this controversial field of inquiry." -Bernard Haisch, California
Institute of Physics and Astrophysics, science editor for The
Astrophysical Journal

"At last, a sensible and serious look at the UFO and abduction
phenomena. A must-read primer for anyone who would confront head-on
the claims made in this controversial field." -H. E. Puthoff, director,
Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin, Texas, coauthor of Fundamentals of Quantum Electronics